What would you have said to this CNA

Nurses Relations

Published

I was almost done posting this but it went away? Sorry if it comes up twice???

Anyway, I am an RN on a busy day shift med-surg/onc floor. The other day it was crazy. It was about 1400 and I had not eaten or peed. I was starting to feel a bit sick. I told the HUC that I was not feeling well and that I was going to take a quick break to pee and eat something real quick. I told her to tell the CNA I was working with that I was not feeling good, would be back quickly, and to give her this note.

The note said - Take temp in 502 and get water for 507. Thanks

Well when I got back, the CNA working with me was livid. She demanded to talk to me in private. She says (and I quote) "I am not your N-word" (but she says the word if ya know what I mean) "You can't just leave me notes and expect me to do what you say"

I was just so shocked! First that she would use the N word (we are both white) and second, that she seemed to not care that I had to get off the floor for just a few min.

So I end up apologizing to HER, explaining why I left the note, and telling her how bad I had to take a quick break. She really didn't care, didn't even give the water or take the temp, and just talked trash about me for the rest of the shift. I heard her later telling the other cna's that 'she put me in my place"

this type of behavior is so dishearting for me, We should ALL be there to support eachother and the patients. What would you guys have done?

:yeah:I so totally agree with you! I thought for a while that it was just where I worked, but later saw , as well that it was on a much bigger scale that I or lot of others imagined! I'm still trying to figure why some of the CNA's would put clean attends on pts over top of the soiled one, and then date, and enitial with time on the tabs? The unit managers took orders from the DON. We also had this new way they did things of a supply machine that you had to use code to get supplies out of it, and the supplies all had their own code #'s. It was to prevent excess waste, and ensure they got charged to the pt, etc, but just another thing to slow ya down as you'd have to stop, lock the cart, and go down to the supply rm to get whatever it was, then all the way to the pts room again! I'm still not sure what their frame of thought was on that one, but that was one example of what I had to deal with in insabordination, and checking on all my pts before I would leave for the day!! Absolutely nuts!:uhoh3: and you are right that nothing ever came of it. No matter how you c/o, or reported it they got a slap on the wrist and right back at it! To me, all that established was that they knew nothing would come of it so they had an attitude of so what! I remember one older senile lady pt pretty much total cares had these finger nail gouges on the inner aspects of her forearms. I had been off the wk-end and came back to that. The womans daughter approched me and said admin was usless as far as she was concerned, and she said one of the physical therapist had told her that they suspected abuse, and it was; you could see the nail marks clear as day, and skin slips! The daughter told me they were having one of those hidden cameras installed in the rm to catch the person responsible hopefully! I don't know how it all played out though cause by then I was so over all the crap that I just left one day, turned in my letter of resignation, and never went back! My husband was furious when I told him of it all. He said I of all people didn't deserve to be used so, and due to my own health issues at that time I made the choice to nolonger work, and went into early retirement. My knees were shot, 2 ruptured disc, fibro, carpel tun, etc. Ortho Dr wanted to replace my knees but that's not going to happen, I'll be crawling before that! Just my own fealings after seeing how my mother was after her knee surg's... I will keep all my parts as long as I can thank you! Today nurses have so much options than they did. Temp services, and perdium work, and some even pay your transpo, and motel, plus great wages. One nurse I worked with would often do that and on her scheduled wk-end off she would go to like Richmond and wk that wk-end and earn almost as much as if she'd worked the wk! Some of the nurses around when I left were talking of moving up outside washington, Richmond area as they said all kinds of work there, and pay was lot better, and benefits.

Pretty much with what everybody else has said, i have been a CNA for 2 years and never have has any major probs, but i know for sure where ever this chick goes to work next, she is gonna have a hard time gettin in .

I would like to post a topic for discussion along the same lines as this "What would you have said to this CNA"... and I'm new to the site so I don't know how to go about that, ( please help) but...

I work in a Psychiatric Hospital. Psych is not for everyone and it's a pretty strange environment for so many reasons. Of course in my hospital we deal primarily with Psychiatric illness. I have been very frustrated lately with two things (I'll just give one for now) about the "team" of folks I am (technically) in charge of as the RN. This team includes; med nurses (LPNs) and our equivalent of "aides" or "techs" (trained but not licensed, paraprofessionals). In my setting we expect to be called names, sometimes accused of everything from poisoning people's food to stealing body parts, writing lies...eating babies...you name it. They are Psychiatric patients, it's understood. Sometimes patients assault staff, spit, hit, kick, or accuse the staff of slightly more plausible atrocities; rape, physical abuse, theft, etc...Again, it's not a fun thing but there are policies, procedures and processes in place to investigate and respect patients' rights and safety AND we're trained to handle all of this appropriately. However; human nature can begin to influence the 'human beings' who are working in this setting. Understandably a patient can effect people over time. People become effected by dealing with so many difficult patients over a long period of time too, but...it can't be an excuse for losing objectivity and most of all you can't lose your compassion or I think ya gotta get out.

I've been in this hospital a little over 5 years. I've always been a gentle nurse with a touch for the small details like an extra pillow/blanket or a few extra minutes to hear someone's worries. I feel strongly though about the importance of boundaries and sticking to the rules of the unit because it's psych. Psych patients can escalate if you aren't careful about those little things and you can put coworkers at risk if you don't maintain boundaries and rules. I say all that to illustrate here, that I'm not picking on staff who have a kind of 'all business' bedside manner. That is okay if someone doesn't feel the need to fluff a pillow...My issue is that I am increasingly troubled with what I see are coworkers allowing themselves to make judgement calls about patients they think are "faking symptoms" for instance... therefor they begin to ignore them or refuse their requests. They don't want to take 5 minutes to stand with someone and allow the person to shave, as an example, since they can't have a razor alone. They don't want to get up and unlock the laundry room door so they tell them they can't do laundry "yet", not because they are soooo busy, (like I am with the unbelievable amount of crap only an RN can do) but because they are chatting with each other perhaps...and they have developed a dislike for some patients or a "type" of patient and just don't want to, what they refer to as; 'jump to their every request'. I could, as the charge nurse, stop what I am doing and say to the person, "Please go unlock the laundry room now." Believe me I have my own style of handling things. One way is pretending I didn't hear the exchange between the patient and staff...I get up from charting and go out to the desk where the patient will immediately ask me to unlock the door so I can say "I can't at this moment but I'm sure 'so-and so' would be happy to do that for you...Could you please, 'so-and-so'? Thanks." I also try to address these attitudes while we're all in report when people freely express their irritations with certain patients behind closed doors and try to say, "I know he called you all those names yesterday...do you feel like you need to work a different unit today? Or are you okay with him?" I truly address the dynamics when I see them developing, but...people have prejudices. They just do. Sometimes they don't even know it. I do it too sometimes but I seek out a mentor or one of the docs and I take a few minutes to discuss it and change my perspective and then I try to work with the patient I am having trouble with so it doesn't grow. BUT that isn't the norm. Usually, coworkers create and perpetuate a bias in each other. If so-and so doesn't like someone she vents to her friend/coworker about what the patient did to her and they build each other and it spreads that way. I have too much to do. I cannot complete my charting, my paperwork, my overwhelming amount of daily duties and all the stupid unexpected crap that comes up AND diffuse and address these issues so that the staff will actually take care of the patients and not escalate the behavior they may even be causing in some cases. I'm very loyal to coworkers. We are often in physical danger and we have to look out for each other. I do it for them and they've done it for me but I cannot go to mangement because they will want names and to discipline people. How can it be addressed and how do burned out psych workers get inspired again?

I recently had a pt who was of a different ethnic background and did not speak English. He was terribly psychotic and scared, (I would assume). It was clear that he was hallucinating sometimes and everyday I came in to reports of how he hit staff or kicked someone during the night, etc... I worked hard to get interpreters and asked family to bring him food from home and asked alot of questions about things he was used to doing related to his culture and then I let him do those things, like pray on the floor, or even sleep on the floor. I prepared his food from home, at mealtimes and I let him eat with everyone while I stayed close in case he was just randomly hitting folks without provocation...but he never did. It upset my coworkers for about 4 days. But then, after he started to get better with meds and they weren't so freaked out by his cultural oddities they started to enjoy him and his behavior also improved tremendously. BUT I had to answer for some of those things that I did. I don't care. I'd do it all again.

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I would like to post a topic for discussion along the same lines as this "What would you have said to this CNA"... and I'm new to the site so I don't know how to go about that, ( please help) but...

I work in a Psychiatric Hospital. Psych is not for everyone and it's a pretty strange environment for so many reasons. Of course in my hospital we deal primarily with Psychiatric illness. I have been very frustrated lately with two things (I'll just give one for now) about the "team" of folks I am (technically) in charge of as the RN. This team includes; med nurses (LPNs) and our equivalent of "aides" or "techs" (trained but not licensed, paraprofessionals). In my setting we expect to be called names, sometimes accused of everything from poisoning people's food to stealing body parts, writing lies...eating babies...you name it. They are Psychiatric patients, it's understood. Sometimes patients assault staff, spit, hit, kick, or accuse the staff of slightly more plausible atrocities; rape, physical abuse, theft, etc...Again, it's not a fun thing but there are policies, procedures and processes in place to investigate and respect patients' rights and safety AND we're trained to handle all of this appropriately. However; human nature can begin to influence the 'human beings' who are working in this setting. Understandably a patient can effect people over time. People become effected by dealing with so many difficult patients over a long period of time too, but...it can't be an excuse for losing objectivity and most of all you can't lose your compassion or I think ya gotta get out.

I've been in this hospital a little over 5 years. I've always been a gentle nurse with a touch for the small details like an extra pillow/blanket or a few extra minutes to hear someone's worries. I feel strongly though about the importance of boundaries and sticking to the rules of the unit because it's psych. Psych patients can escalate if you aren't careful about those little things and you can put coworkers at risk if you don't maintain boundaries and rules. I say all that to illustrate here, that I'm not picking on staff who have a kind of 'all business' bedside manner. That is okay if someone doesn't feel the need to fluff a pillow...My issue is that I am increasingly troubled with what I see are coworkers allowing themselves to make judgement calls about patients they think are "faking symptoms" for instance... therefor they begin to ignore them or refuse their requests. They don't want to take 5 minutes to stand with someone and allow the person to shave, as an example, since they can't have a razor alone. They don't want to get up and unlock the laundry room door so they tell them they can't do laundry "yet", not because they are soooo busy, (like I am with the unbelievable amount of crap only an RN can do) but because they are chatting with each other perhaps...and they have developed a dislike for some patients or a "type" of patient and just don't want to, what they refer to as; 'jump to their every request'. I could, as the charge nurse, stop what I am doing and say to the person, "Please go unlock the laundry room now." Believe me I have my own style of handling things. One way is pretending I didn't hear the exchange between the patient and staff...I get up from charting and go out to the desk where the patient will immediately ask me to unlock the door so I can say "I can't at this moment but I'm sure 'so-and so' would be happy to do that for you...Could you please, 'so-and-so'? Thanks." I also try to address these attitudes while we're all in report when people freely express their irritations with certain patients behind closed doors and try to say, "I know he called you all those names yesterday...do you feel like you need to work a different unit today? Or are you okay with him?" I truly address the dynamics when I see them developing, but...people have prejudices. They just do. Sometimes they don't even know it. I do it too sometimes but I seek out a mentor or one of the docs and I take a few minutes to discuss it and change my perspective and then I try to work with the patient I am having trouble with so it doesn't grow. BUT that isn't the norm. Usually, coworkers create and perpetuate a bias in each other. If so-and so doesn't like someone she vents to her friend/coworker about what the patient did to her and they build each other and it spreads that way. I have too much to do. I cannot complete my charting, my paperwork, my overwhelming amount of daily duties and all the stupid unexpected crap that comes up AND diffuse and address these issues so that the staff will actually take care of the patients and not escalate the behavior they may even be causing in some cases. I'm very loyal to coworkers. We are often in physical danger and we have to look out for each other. I do it for them and they've done it for me but I cannot go to mangement because they will want names and to discipline people. How can it be addressed and how do burned out psych workers get inspired again?

I recently had a pt who was of a different ethnic background and did not speak English. He was terribly psychotic and scared, (I would assume). It was clear that he was hallucinating sometimes and everyday I came in to reports of how he hit staff or kicked someone during the night, etc... I worked hard to get interpreters and asked family to bring him food from home and asked alot of questions about things he was used to doing related to his culture and then I let him do those things, like pray on the floor, or even sleep on the floor. I prepared his food from home, at mealtimes and I let him eat with everyone while I stayed close in case he was just randomly hitting folks without provocation...but he never did. It upset my coworkers for about 4 days. But then, after he started to get better with meds and they weren't so freaked out by his cultural oddities they started to enjoy him and his behavior also improved tremendously. BUT I had to answer for some of those things that I did. I don't care. I'd do it all again.

Dear Jay, Stay right where you are. You show your love for this unique type of patient. God bless you dear.:redbeathe

Fran

Specializes in med/surg.
Dear Jay, Stay right where you are. You show your love for this unique type of patient. God bless you dear.:redbeathe

Fran

Right on Jay. We need more of you.

Specializes in Hospice & Geriatrics.

I am a CNA~~RN in '10 and I would NEVER talk to any of my nurses that way!! The other CNA's maybe (tee-hee-hee j/k) but not a nurse an RN or LPN for that matter!! We are there to help the nurses HENSE the term NURSES ASSISTANT!! I can't even begin to tell you what I would have said but I sure to heck would not have apologized!! I would like to think I would come up with something clever like "make that a rectal temp toots" but in all honesty I prob would have stood there with my jaw on the floor!! I guess some ppl just don't appreciate having a job!!

sad.pngOh no! !!!!! I just finished a reply to this post, and before I could submit it the computer ate it:yawn:I don't have it in me to key it all in again! It was re: psych pts, and couple experiences I'd had yrs ago in nursing training. After doing the orientation a few wks in a unit of the center I realized it was not a type of nursing I felt I could do! It really takes a special person to be psych nurse, just as it takes a special one to work the burn unit!!! Seeing how some of those pts were in so much pain, and giving them the max pain med they could have, and they were hurting so bad just begging, and sobbing in the pain, but you had to just tell them they had a while to go yet before they could have it! They had extensive burns and tanking them inorder to get the bandages off. I mean it was like there was not a spot on their body where you could touch them to assist them in and out the tank! The weeping, and pleading for something to dull their pain though too much for me! I'd float to thar unit when they needed help, but couldn't handle all that full time!!! Chemo unit was enough for me dealing with the death, and dying! Peds. was even worse for me as you had really no idea how muh pain a baby was experiencing. My own little guys I knew what their sounds meant, but a baby you don;t know that was hard for me hearing the crying. Floating like that for a few months aftr you first start work as a nurse is good thing, as you get to know all the units and how they are worked, and where everything is! By then you have a feel what unit, and pts you want to work. I too learned that you had to find the humor where you could for you and the pts. I found it seemed to make the pts more relaxed, and at ease.
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